Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: How an Indie Game Developer Writes a Scenario (1)
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‘So, I cleared it with an S-rank...’
I thought the storyboard I'd put together wasn't bad, but getting an objective grade like this felt different.
Plus, I'd earned an extra 5 points, giving me a cushion of 10 points now.
If I run into any hurdles during development, using these wisely will be a huge help in overcoming them.
Of course, even without what I gained from God Game Maker, the rewards from this experience were more than enough.
‘I really got to study cinematic direction this time.’
I'd always been somewhat confident in my directing skills, but I knew nothing about the technical details of how it would be implemented in a 3D cinematic video.
Over the past few days, I'd leveled up quickly by constantly communicating with Go Jinho, and I was sure this experience would be useful again in the future.
Besides, by handling the work cleanly, he'd come to trust me, which would surely make things even a little bit easier the next time I need to collaborate with the cinematics team.
"Excuse me, Bonbujang-nim, could I speak with you privately for a moment?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
After Team Leader Go Jinho left, I cautiously approached the division head.
I needed to report what happened last Saturday.
"Bonbujang-nim, have you ever heard of someone named Coby Fox?"
"Of course, I do. That's the developer's nickname, the one who made Overtale. I enjoyed that game too. But why do you ask about him?"
I was worried he might not know Coby, but as expected of Shin Chihwan, he wasn't the man in power for nothing.
Judging by his confident tone, it seemed the rumors about him spending most of his free time playing new games weren't just rumors.
Then again... that's probably how he knew about my game, too.
"He sent me an email on Saturday."
"Oh, really? Have a seat. I'd like to hear the details."
I explained that Coby Fox had emailed me on Saturday, saying he wanted to meet me, but I thought I should report it to the company first.
"Hmm... Well, Gwajang Jo, there's no problem with you meeting him personally, of course."
"Then I'll go ahead and meet..."
"But, you're meeting Coby Fox of all people. Wouldn't it be a bit of a waste to just let it pass?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Jo Hyunsoo, a developer 'from' NB Soft, meeting Coby Fox, the creator of Overtale. Even if it doesn't appeal to the general public, it could still create a buzz among gamers, right? Media interviews, our own company interviews... I can see a few opportunities here."
The division head's point was that he wanted to use Coby Fox's visit as a pretext to promote the company and the project.
But... I didn't want to burden someone who was coming purely because he wanted to see me.
"Hmm... But wouldn't Coby Fox feel like he's being used?"
"Gwajang Hyunsoo, why are you being so naive? Of course, we'll treat him with the utmost hospitality so he doesn't feel that way. Our company isn't that poor. We can cover his flight, accommodation, and travel expenses. That way, it becomes an official invitation from our company."
"Ah..."
"Good. I'll talk to the HR team and have them draw up a plan, so you just pass the message along to Coby Fox. Tell him you mentioned it to the company and they made this offer, and ask what he thinks. Be careful and polite, you know?"
"Yes, I understand."
That was Shin Chihwan for you.
I had only reported it to prevent any potential problems, but he didn't miss the chance to turn even this small event into a gain for himself.
His strategy of giving the other party benefits in the process, turning them into allies instead of enemies, was also effective.
Indeed... he was just the kind of person you'd expect to make it to division head without a prestigious degree or connections.
A man so sly you'd think he had a hundred snakes living in his gut.
That kind of competence was incredibly reassuring when he was on your side, and though our dispositions were different, I felt there was something to learn from him.
"Then I'll be heading back to the office."
"Alright. Let's talk again when a decision is made on this."
A clean conclusion.
Feeling as though I'd received an unexpected gift, I returned to the office with a light step.
Now, all I had to do was relay the division head's offer to Coby Fox.
"Did the meeting go well, Gwajang-nim?"
"Yes, well... it was resolved amicably."
Daeri Son Seokjin bowed his head as if he'd been waiting.
I sat down with a smirk and sent him a message on the company messenger.
[Me: Daeri Seokjin, do you happen to know Coby Fox?]
[Daeri Son Seokjin: Yes, I do! Isn't he the creator of Overtale? I'm a huge fan.]
As expected. I'd had a feeling ever since he said he was deeply impressed by my game, but it seemed our tastes were quite similar.
[Me: Well, I might be meeting that Coby Fox soon.]
"Holy crap, no way!"
At that moment, Daeri Son Seokjin exclaimed out loud.
As the words were uttered in the dead-silent office, everyone's eyes turned to him at once.
"S-Sorry! Something good just happened!"
Seokjin, looking embarrassed, scratched his head and bowed to those around him before placing his hands back on the keyboard.
[Daeri Son Seokjin: H-How did you end up meeting him?]
[Me: He contacted me first. I reported it to the division head, and it looks like it'll become a company-level meeting. It's not set in stone, but there might be something for you to help with, Daeri Seokjin.]
[Daeri Son Seokjin: Just leave any task to me! No... please give me something to do! I want to see him too, Coby Fox!]
His reaction was better than I'd expected, so I gave a satisfied smile.
I didn't know how long we'd be working together, but I wanted to give Son Seokjin as many experiences and opportunities as possible.
It was because I'd never received that kind of care myself, so I figured I should be the one to do it well.
[Daeri Son Seokjin: Oh, and Gwajang-nim, I just finished the first draft of the Chapter 1 scenario you assigned. Could you possibly take a look at it?]
[Me: Of course, send it over.]
[Daeri Son Seokjin: Phoenix_Scenario_Chapter1_SonSeokjin.pptx]
‘That's surprising. He's already done with Chapter 1?’
I thought I wouldn't see it until around closing time tomorrow at the earliest, but the document arrived much faster than I'd anticipated.
‘Looks like he's been working a ton of overtime.’
On a hunch, I sent a message to PD Oh Gwangseok.
[Me: PD-nim, could I ask you for a small favor?]
[Manager Oh Gwangseok: Yes, yes, go ahead.]
[Me: Could you possibly tell me what time Daeri Son Seokjin clocked out last week, roughly?]
Team leaders have access to their team members' clock-in and clock-out times through the HR information system.
Since I didn't have the authority, I had no choice but to ask the PD.
[Manager Oh Gwangseok: Hmm... Daeri Seokjin worked a lot of overtime last week. Looks like he left around 3 AM on Friday. But why do you ask?]
[Me: Oh, no, it's nothing major. Daeri Seokjin's work came in so quickly, I was just wondering if he'd been working late.]
[Manager Oh Gwangseok: Right. He seems to be working hard, so don't be too hard on him even if he's a bit clumsy.]
3 AM. Just as I thought...
It seemed Daeri Seokjin was eager to prove his abilities now that he was working with me.
‘But rushing ahead without a solid foundation can actually have negative side effects.’
I gave a small nod and opened the document Seokjin had sent.
Hmm...
‘Well, it's... serviceable.’
It was, in a word, serviceable.
Nothing really stood out, the document was clean, and the dialogue and stage directions were written neatly without any jarring elements.
At a glance, that might sound like a compliment, but it wasn't at all.
To put it another way, "serviceable" is just another word for "boring."
A boring scenario is worse than no scenario at all.
‘This isn't something I can fix with a short explanation over messenger.’
I immediately booked a conference room and printed out two copies of the Chapter 1 scenario Seokjin had worked on.
Then I got up and gently tapped the shoulder of a nervous-looking Daeri Seokjin.
"Daeri Seokjin, let's have a quick meeting. I'll give you some feedback on your work."
"Ah, yes!"
I entered the nearest four-person conference room and handed one of the printed scenarios to Daeri Seokjin.
Seokjin's face was stiff, a clear sign of his nervousness.
"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to scold you. I'm well aware that you don't have much experience with this kind of work, Daeri Seokjin."
"Ah, y-yes!"
"That said, we don't have the luxury of time to teach you slowly, so I won't beat around the bush. To be blunt, the scenario you wrote is boring."
"Ah... I see."
Seokjin's tense expression melted into disappointment.
Having poured so much time into the work, he must have been secretly hoping for some praise from me.
"Let's go through it one by one. First, all the characters' dialogue sounds the same and is too plain. In game scenarios, especially for mobile, people tend to skim through the text. That's why it's better to be very exaggerated. Daeri Seokjin, have you ever heard the saying that every character should be 'one-eyed and one-legged'?"
"Ah, no, this is the first I'm hearing of it."
"It means that as the writer, you need to make your characters so distinct that it feels almost extreme. It might seem cringey or over-the-top to us, but to the person seeing and reading it, it feels completely different."
I scanned the lines Daeri Seokjin had written and landed on the dialogue for the beast-person heroine.
"Look here. The heroine is from the 'Rabit' race, a rabbit beast-person, right? These characters would have a different oral structure from humans, and a different language system, but in the actual text, she speaks just like a human. What are some ways we could indirectly convey this difference through text?"
"Um... I'm not sure."
I stood up and went to the whiteboard on the wall, where I revised a few lines Seokjin had written.
Original) I will follow you, too.
Revised) I, I will follow you, too-t.
I rewrote it, adding the "-t" sound to the end of her sentences.
Daeri Seokjin made a strange face.
I didn't need him to say anything to know exactly what he was thinking.
"It feels childish when I say it out loud like this, doesn't it? But you need to understand that it's perceived completely differently when you're actually playing the game."
I pulled up YouTube and played a broadcast where the streamer Pung Horang had played my game.
In Chapter 1 of Forgotten Andersen's Story, the Ugly Duckling episode, the duckling ends all its sentences with "-duck."
I showed him the part where it adds that expression.
"This, adding '-duck' to the end of every sentence. Did you ever think it was childish while playing the game?"
"No... I didn't really feel that way."
"You don't necessarily have to use this method, but game scenarios, especially for mobile, are different from novels. There's a limit to the space you have to show things. If you can quickly convey a character's feel with minimal resources, then that's the method I recommend. Always think from the user's perspective."
"...I understand."
Seokjin nodded, a slightly surprised look on his face.
It was obvious he'd vaguely considered such expressions 'childish,' and my words had likely shattered some of his preconceived notions.
However, this was just a taste.
"And... this isn't all. I'll teach you a few more ways to bring your characters to life and make them more three-dimensional."
The scenario-writing know-how I was about to share was just beginning.